Global warming has been increasing across the globe, but no place is as apparent as in Alaska. For years there has been evidence of global warming and climate change in Alaska: retreating glaciers, thawing permafrost, changes in native plant ranges, and spruce beetles present in interior spruce trees are just a few of them main precursors. And while scientists have been playing catch up with their data, Alaska Natives noticed the changes early on.

Alaska native elders predicted “hard times to come” long before global warming and climate change became a big topic. Back in the 1980s, elders on the Probilof Islands worried that increasing beaver dams would create slower, shallower rivers and the water would get too warm for salmon eggs to survive. Elders also raised concerns that as the permafrost melted, water seeped deeper into the ground, drying up lakes and streams. Ahtna elders long ago spoke of a time of “two suns” when the earth would be twice as warm and people would see strange wildlife and plants, and traditional foods would disappear. Only recent, in 2012, did scientists start to confirm their concerns.

Alaskan natives along the Yukon River recently noticed that salmon from the Yukon River contained parasites, where before were healthy and clean. Other interior natives have stated that moose and caribou meat turn sour faster due to the warming fall hunting seasons. Native people usually used the “Alaskan cooling system” in the winter instead of the common, modern freezer to store food. However, with the increasing temperatures and warming winters, they might need to rethink their traditional lifestyle.In the Copper River Basin, tribal members observed that the copper river hadn’t been freezing over like it used to for people to cross for trapping and gathering firewood. Over the past couple years, the river levels have been low and affected the salmon run, while sockeye salmon are progressively getting smaller in size. Temperatures are warmer, the permafrost is melting, and the lakes are drying up.

These climate changes have had a negative effect on the health of native communities. Warming temperatures have led to an increase in insects and disease in plants and animals when normally cold winters would slow or kill their expansion. Thawing permafrost has increased sewage contamination and led to pollutants leaching out into clean water.The mental health of native communities has also been affected by the weather changes, causing fear, anxiety, and depression as their resources, cultural elements, and environment become unrecognizable. Hunting practices are being lost; warmer weather affects moose movement, tight hunting restrictions limit legal hunting, and decreasing ice and snow makes traditional practices of travel and hunting unsafe. Studies show that approximately 70% of young native men are more prone to depression, alcoholism, or suicide in recent years.

Not all is lost though. There are some villages that are taking matters into their own hands; changing their own ordinances or working with the state and federal government to help adapt their communities to the changing climate. An Inuit village in Point Lay established their own rules for travelling via roads or boats near a haul-out to keep noise down and prevent walruses from stampeding and hurting each other. The communities of Gamble and Savoonga on Saint Lawrence Island are reinstating old ordinances to set their own catch limits and other protections for their marine life. The Nome Eskimo Community is partnering with UAF to develop a climate change adaptation plan for their tribes.

We can make small strides, such as the ones mentioned above, within our own communities. Recycling can be a big contributor in reducing pollutants getting into the soil and water from landfills and dumps. Reducing our own carbon emissions, such as carpooling to work or the store, can help air quality. Conserve water, use compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of regular incandescent light bulbs, turn off lights you’re not using, take lunch to work instead of buying lunch everyday and increasing waste.There are lots of little ways we can help the environment, and it desperately needs our help. Alaska is at the forefront of global warming and climate change, and Alaska Natives are some of the first people to be affected by the changing environment. We must lead by example, change ourselves and our communities to decrease global warming, improve our environment, and protect our natural resources.